Conditionals


1) FIRST CONDITIONAL


Form:
  * If + present tense, + will + base form of verb

  * If it rains, I’ll stay at home.

  Will + base form of verb (no comma) + if + present tense
  * I’ll stay at home if it rains.


Use:

The first conditional expresses a possible condition and a probable result in FUTURE.


                                        CONDITION→→→→RESULT

                                        RESULT→→→→CONDITION

                                                                    If I see Jane, I will tell her.

I will tell Jane if I see her.

                                                          If it rains tomorrow, we’ll stay at home.

We’ll stay at home if it rains tomorrow.

                                      If Simon gets a cheap flight, he will go to London next week.

Simon will go to London next week if he gets a cheap flight.

                                                             If I don’t pass the exam, I’ll be sad.

I’ll be sad if I don’t pass the exam.



2) SECOND CONDITIONAL


Form:
  * If + past simple, would + base form of verb

  * If I had some money, I would travel around the world.

  would +base form of verb (no comma) if + past simple
  * I would travel around the world if I had some money.


Use:

The second conditional expresses a hypothetical condition and its probable result. We use the past
tense although the speaker is talking about the present or future.


If I had some money, I would travel around the world. (…. But I don’t have the money, so I can’t
travel anywhere.)


If she was younger she would start her own business. (….But she is too old to do it now.)


NOTES:


ü  With “I” and “he/she/it” we often use “were” instead of “was” in conditional sentences,
especially when we write. It is more formal: If I were you, I would write him a letter.


ü  Where appropriate, we can also use “could” or “should” instead of “would”.




PRACTICE: 1^st and 2^nd conditional

1 Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences.


A You are sure to be late ...                                         1  ...if you explain it to
them.

B If I had their address ...                                             2 ...I’ll take an
umbrella.

C They’ll understand it all right ...                                  3 ...I could write and ask
them.

D If Tom didn’t work so much ...                                    4 ...I might lose a bit of
weight.

E If it rains in the afternoon ...                                        5 ...if you miss the bus.

F If I took more exercise ...                                          6 ... he wouldn’t get so
tired.




2 Complete the sentences by putting the verb in brackets in the correct tense.

1 If you ____________________ (ask) Liz, she will tell you what to do.

2 I won’t help you with your homework if you ____________________ (not stop) watching TV.

3 They would work harder if they ____________________ (not be) so tired.

4 I would have a word with Jack if he ____________________ (be) at home.

5 Peggy ____________________ (go) shopping if she ____________________ (have) time in the
afternoon.

6 If he ____________________ (care) about other people’s feelings, he wouldn’t behave that way.

7 She ____________________ (not be) successful if she doesn’t learn to control her temper.

8 If you ____________________ (send) this letter now, she ____________________ (receive) it
tomorrow.

9 You ____________________ (be able/ not) to sleep if you ____________________ (watch) this scary
film.

10 If I ____________________ (find) your ring, I ____________________ (give) it back to you.

11 If her boyfriend ____________________ (phone / not) today, she ____________________ (leave) him.

12 If they ____________________ (study / not) harder, they ____________________ (pass / not) the
exam.










3) THIRD CONDITIONAL


Form:
  * If + past perfect, would + past infinitive (= ”have + past participle”)

  * If I had earned enough money, I would have travelled around the world.

OR

  * I would have travelled around the world if I had earned enough money.

Use:

The third conditional expresses an unreal condition and its probable result in the PAST.


If I had earned enough money, I would have travelled around the world. (…. But I didn’t earn enough
money, so I couldn’t travel.)



PRACTICE: 3^rd conditional


3 All following sentences refer to the past. Complete them in the form of the third conditional.


1 If I had got up earlier, I would _______________________(catch) the bus.


2 If I_______________________(know) it, I wouldn’t have gone there.


3 If I_______________________(study) harder, I _______________________(pass) the exam.


4 If I _______________________(not leave) so early, I _______________________(meet) her.


5 If you _______________________(drive) more carefully, you _______________________(not have) an
accident.


6 If we_______________________(play) a little better, we _______________________(win) the match.


 7 We _______________________(go) to the cinema if we ______________________(get) the tickets.


8 I _______________________(call) Mike if I _______________________(not lose) his telephone number.


9 If Greg _______________________(not be) late for work, he _______________________(not lose) his
job.


10 Paula_______________________(join) the project if she _______________________(have) more
information about it.